Nursing and Midwifery Office

Midwifery Services

Aboriginal Cadetships
Annualised Salary Package
Birthrate Plus
Breastfeeding in NSW
Credentialling
Management of Drug Use - National Clinical Guidelines
Maternity Emergency Guidelines for Registered Nurses
Midwifery Connect (Rural/Regional NSW)
Midwifery Refresher Programs
Midwifery Workforce
Public Homebirth Services
Scholarships

Annualised Salary Package

On 21 December 2007 the NSW Nurses' Association and the NSW Department of Health reached agreement on a Model Midwifery Caseload Practice Annualised Salary Arrangement. A link to this Model Pilot Agreement can be found below.

Model Pilot Agreement for Midwifery Caseload Practice Annualised Salary Agreement

Birthrate Plus

Birthrate Plus it a UK workforce planning tool currently being piloted in NSW. It uses retrospective data to inform service planning and commissioning, explore models of maternity care, inform recruitment and retention strategies and identify baselines for maternity staffing.

Recommendations from phase one of the Birthrate Plus pilot have gone to the State-wide Steering Committee for Reasonable Workloads for consideration.

Breastfeeding in NSW

'Breastfeeding in NSW: Promotion, Protection and Support' is the first comprehensive breastfeeding policy for the NSW Department of Health. It is designed to demonstrate NSW Health's commitment towards improved population breastfeeding practices and guide action. To view this policy visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2006/PD2006_012.html.

Credentialling

Credentialling is the formal process used to verify and evaluate the qualfications and experience of health care professionals for the purposes of forming an opinion about their training, skills, experience and competence. In NSW credentialling is proposed as a mechanism for midwives to demonstrate their competence and capability to practise in midwifery managed continuity of care models.

The Nursing and Midwifery Office is providing funding to the NSW Midwives Association (ending May 2008) to administer the credentialling process. This funding is available for midwives working in public midwifery-managed models who are required to attain the credential. After May 2008 Area Health Services in NSW will be required to fund midwives working in midwifery-managed continuity of care models to undertake credentialling.

For further information about credentialling contact the the NSW Midwives Association on 9281 9522 or visit their website at www.nswmidwives.com.au.

PD2005_615 - Midwives - NSW Health - Credentialling Framework

Maternity Emergency Guidelines for Registered Nurses

Maternity emergency guidelines are for registered nurses not authorised to practice midwifery, who are faced with a maternity emergency in rural/remote areas. These guidelines have been distributed to all Area Health Services in NSW. Further copies can be obtained from the NSW Midwives Assocation. Visit www.nswmidwives.com.au or telephone (02) 9281 9522.

Midwifery Connect (Rural/Regional NSW)

Launched in November 2007, Midwifery Connect compliments the general nursing Re-Connect initiative. Midwifery Connect aims to attract registered midwives back into the profession within rural and regional health services in NSW.

Funded by the NSW Department of Health, Midwifery Connect provides four weeks of full time equivalent, intensive orientation and one on one preceptor support.

Midwifery Connect is not a refresher course, it is a means of employing registered midwives who have not been working in midwifery for more than six months into vacant, permanent full time or part time positions within rural or regional health services in NSW.

To be eligible for Midwifery Connect you need to be:-

• a registered midwife in NSW currently out of the workforce; or
• a registered midwife in NSW currently working as a nurse and wishing to return to midwifery.

To register or enquire about Midwifery Connect telephone toll free on 1800 330 933.

Midwifery Refresher Programs

The following midwifery refresher courses are available in NSW.

NSW Midwives Association - Refreshing Midwives: Education for Practice

The College of Nursing - Refresher Course for Midwives

Midwifery Workforce

In October 2005 the Chief Nursing Officer NSW convened a forum on midwifery workforce. From this a working group was formed to review the midwifery workforce. This review is ongoing.

Public Homebirth Services

NSW Health recognises that the place of birth is a decision for women and their families and that a small number of women will choose to birth at home. It is recommended that Area Health Services in NSW make arrangements for the provision of a range of models of care, which may include public homebirth services. Public homebirth services, when provided must comply with the standards set out in NSW Department of Health Policy Directive PD2006_045. To access a copy of this directive visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2006/PD2006_045.html.

Previous Reports Endorsed by NSW Health

Maternity Services in NSW - The Final Report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Obstetric Services in NSW, 1989 (The Shearman Report)

NSW Midwifery Taskforce Final Report, 1996 - Final Recommendations

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